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MBN: Pharmacy robberies seem to be on rise

Thousands of prescription pills stolen in a brazen armed robbery in Jackson are likely to end up on the black market, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics officials said.

The Super D Drugstore off North State Street was robbed about 10 a.m. Sept. 22 by three men with automatic weapons, Jackson police said. The men took money from the cash register, safe and at least one customer, police said. More than 8,000 Loritabs, 10,000 Xanax and 900 morphine tablets were reported stolen from the pharmacy, police said.

"There's a reason why they're breaking into pharmacies and robbing them because there's a high profit on what can be sold on the black market," Fisher said. "I think some of these pills going for anywhere from $40 to $80, and as low as $20 dollars a pill on the street."

Fisher said prescription drug abuse is becoming a growing problem in Mississippi. In 2011, there were 177 reported drug overdoses in Mississippi; 95 percent were from prescription drugs, Fisher said.

"And those stats are seriously under reported," Fisher said.

MBN has recently been focusing attention on the problem of doctor shopping in Mississippi, in which a patient sees several different practitioners to obtain prescriptions.

"Originally these things were marketed for cancer patients with severe pain. Now you're seeing a trend across the country, and have been for some years, where these are being prescribed for other (types) of pain," Fisher said. "I'm not saying there's not a legitimate use for them, but we've got an overwhelming trend, not just in Mississippi but across the United States, of people who are (using) doctor shopping for hydrocodone."

Fisher said most doctor shoppers are addicts.

"Some of them sell that stuff to keep their supply coming," Fisher said.

Fisher said MBN is working to educate nurses, doctors, dentists and pharmacists for the warning signs of doctor shopping.

The Jackson Police Department recently released surveillance video from the Super D robbery in hopes that someone may be able to identify the culprits. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS.

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